All right folks! It's time for Chapter Number Two! Without further ado, here it is: "Family Ties and Alien Lies."

Ari nervously glanced at her watch. Only ten minutes until Zim would be expecting her. She'd seen his lab, long ago, but this time she was actually invited. Ari, who normally disregarded mirrors due to their encouragement of vanity, quickly glanced at herself in the upstairs hall mirror. Her chunky, triangular bangs hung limp over her eyes precisely as she liked them. Taking a deep breath, Ari bolted down the spiral staircase of her home and headed for the door. Before she could reach the doorknob, her mother appeared.

"Hold on a minute killer, where do you think you're going?" Crystal Jones, proud scientist and mother of Ari demanded.

Ari scowled and folded her arms. "Does it matter? You're never home to make dinner anyway, so why should I…wait…why are you home now?" she enquired.

Crystal grabbed her car keys and Ari's arm and started out the door. "Remember Daddy's old college roommate? Well, he's a top-level scientist who's willing to give me a government grant for a small price," the doctor began to explain, "we simply need to meet him for dinner and the deal is sealed."

Ari struggled against her mother's surprisingly strong grip. "No mom, I have plans, you can't just command me whenever you come home…let GO!" she howled to no avail. Dr. Jones' car activated the mechanized seatbelt locks and trapped Ari. With a shriek of anguish, the car sped away.

"Children, I'm home!" boomed the eccentric Doctor Membrane. This fact was, of course, painfully obvious due to the crashing of the large, purple front door.

Dib bolted down the stairs like an excited puppy, straightening his "I Believe" UFO T-shirt. "Hey, Dad," squealed Dib, "I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HOME!"

The professor gave Dib a crisp pat on the head before briskly strutting to the kitchen. "Yes, it's quite the occasion, son," he stated.

Gaz slowly rounded the corner and watched her father with mild interest. "So what's this urgent news; it was obviously a big deal if you dragged yourself away from work," she muttered icily. Professor Membrane gave a chuckle and whapped Gaz on the back.

The overzealous professor looked dramatically at his offspring and struck a dramatic pose. He said, "Yes children, I have very exciting news, but I can't discuss it until my colleague arrives. Needless to say, it's of great interest to you, Gaz."

Gaz's eyes lit up as she could only think of one thing: "College….admissions…letter….?" she murmured, spellbound. Professor Membrane braced Gaz's shoulders and stooped to be at eye level with her.

"Gaz," he murmured.

"Y-yes?" the purple-haired goth replied.

Dramatic pause, maybe some inspirational music

"It's much more important than that!" The professor cried.

Gaz slapped her forehead dramatically and snarled at her dad, "What could be more important than getting out of HERE?"

Suddenly, a car pulled up outside the Membrane home and the slamming of car doors could be heard. Professor Membrane's head popped up, and he rushed to the door. "That's my colleague now!" The door swung open to reveal a tall, blonde woman in a white lab coat and pink goggles clutching the arm of a tan, angry-looking blonde girl.

"Professor Jones! Come in, make yourself comfortable," Professor Membrane exclaimed, ushering the two women to the purple, oblong couch, "Children, you must know Professor Jones' daughter, Ari, from school." he continued. Gaz gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and Dib adjusted his wristbands slightly.

"Umm, yes…er, we've met…once or twice," Dib stammered, trying not to reveal an obvious obsession with Ari as well as the fact that the few instances they had interacted, Ari had been helping Zim with some sort of scheme.

"Dad," Gaz grunted, "the news?"

Professor Membrane popped up suddenly and rushed across the room. "Of course! Well, let's just get right on with it then," he began as he revealed a large electric transmitter, "As you know, Professor Jones' lab has recently been commissioned to develop a powerful appearance-altering serum. Testing has yielded conclusive evidence of potential breakthroughs, but without proper funding no advancements can be made." The monitor threw up images of a woman with crab claws, a man with a large beak, and one little boy with exceptionally large webbed feet. Professor Membrane continued, "I fully believe in Professor Jones' research and I have decided to give her funding to complete the serum. Of course, funding isn't cheap; I'd obviously expect to be recompensated, but we're very well off! What could I possibly ask for? Then it occurred to me...the one thing I lack."

Gaz, Ari, and Dib all held their breath in anticipation.

The Professor took a breath and said with confidence, "I lack an heir. Yes, I have you two, but what will become of my facilities? Let's just pretend for a moment that you two aren't able to take over the corporation; if Dib goes off to hunt monsters and Gaz becomes a college graduate, what becomes of my lab? Even if you two do inherit the family business, who will be left to take it from the two of you? Let's face facts, neither of you are exactly what I'd call "normal," or social. I desperately need to find life mates for both of you, considering the lousy job you've done of finding them for yourselves!"

"What exactly does this mean for us?" Ari asked, speaking for the first time.

"It means that I've found a way to get my funding, and Professor Membrane gets his heir," Professor Jones added.

"The Professor laughed and continued, "That's right Crystal. So without further ado, I'm proud to announce that Ari is now…promised in marriage to Dib!"

Ari's stomach suddenly twisted into a knot as the final statement turned in her mind. "No…it's IMPOSSIBLE" Ari screamed, "you can't make me, I will NEVER marry him." She sneered at Dib

"Oh I'm afraid it's mandatory sweetie," Professor Jones said sweetly. "You ingested an obedience implant with your toast this morning. Now you're chemically obligated to obey or suffer intense, painful consequences."

"How could you do that to me? Your own daughter! screamed Ari. With this outburst Crystal pressed a button on her wristband and Ari began to writhe in pain. Crystal Jones shook her head and said, "Aaaw sweety, I don't want to do this to you, but it's the only way; I'm sure you'll grow to love Dib."

Ari began to cry as she lay on the floor holding her stomach. "Why…" she simpered.

Dib, who had watched this scene with amazement, could barely fathom this news. His secret crush was now forced to marry him. What would everyone think? Most of all, what would Zim say? He'd be crushed beyond belief, and if Ari was forced to obey, Dib could use her to penetrate Zim's lab! The possibilities made Dib giddy.

Gaz butted in and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

Professor Membrane said, "I'm glad you asked, Gaz. You may recall that a few months ago I acquired a backer from a foreign sovereignty. His name is Prince Urple, and his money allows for my lab to make mind-blowing new discoveries. Like me, the Prince doesn't give his money away for free, so I had to give him a little token of business to seal the deal…"

Gaz's eyes widened. "Oh no, you can't mean-"

Professor Membrane hushed her and pressed a button on the transmitter's monitor. The image of a handsome but pompous looking young man with bright purple hair appeared, obviously Prince Urple.

"Gaz," The Professor said, "Meet your new husband!"

There we go kiddies, the second lengthy installment. Gaz and Ari have been pawned off as wives in arranged marriages. Who is Prince Urple (you probably guessed), what will the three teens do now that they've been forced off into this scheme, and what will become of Zim?

These questions will be answered in the future, but as for the next chapter…Dib's jealous admirer makes her own plans to disrupt the arranged marriage, while Zim employs an old friend to infiltrate Membrane's lab. New characters are introduced, and the story presses on! Join us next time!